Tributary-feeder control.



W. H. IOHNSON..` TIBUTARY FEEDER CONTROL.

APPLlcAloN men luLY is. |911.

yl,281,5&51. Patented 00u15, 1918.

lze

WILLIAM H. JOHNSQN, Of HAUTE, INDIANA.

'rnIBU'rARY-FEEDER coN'rnoIL.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM l-l. JonssonY a citizen of the United States, residing at rlferre Haute, in the county of Vigo and State of Indiana, have invented a 'new and useful '1`ributary-l4`eeder Control, ot' which the `following is a specification.

In" many plants `articles are carried on conveyors, and sometimes -it is desired that there be branch conveyors which feed to ay main conveyer as tributaries. T his happens in glassplants, or in breweries, where a number of bottle machines or filling machines discharge on to their separate co'nveyers, all of .which discharge on to a main conveyor. In many ofthese, it is essentialthat the bottle or other article which is discharged frov `a tributary conveyer on to the main conveyor shall not` be interfered with b y a similar bott-le or other article already on the main eonveyer, as a collision between two bottles or other articles might result in dis# astcr, such as the breaking of the machine or of one or both articles, or, as when the conveyer is carrying hot bottles just formed by a bottle machine,j,tl 1c sticking together Aolxthe colliding bottles.

I n my ego-'pending application Ser. No.-

142,981, filed on JanuaryV 18, 1917, I; have shown .an invention whereby the possibili-ty -ofsuch collisions, between articles on a man1 conveycr and articles discharged thereupon from a tributary conveyer, is avoided. My present invention has the same object in view; with the 4additional object of simplifyiing the construction. It does this by elimir nating the control star wheel shown in such application and providing a hinged gate' and Va, flexible guide rail, cooperating with the other elements in the manner set forth hereinafter.

The accompanying my invention. Figu're 1 isi` a plan view of a main conveyor and one tributary conveyer feeding thereto, showing my invention elnbodied therein, the hinged gate. and the ficxi blc guide rail being in position to permit the bottles 'to `travel along the main-conveyer; and Fig. 2 is a partial similar'vyiew, but with the hinged gate and flexible guide rail inposition to stop the passage of articles along the main conveyor and permit l the passage of articles to the main convey'er from the the tributary conveyor.

speemcauon or Leiters Patent.

Application mea July 1s, 1917. smal No. 1s`1,21o.

drawing illustrates Patented Oct. 15, 191,8.

The main conveyer 1U is shown as 'of the endless chain type, and is driven in the direction of the arrow in any suitable manner. Itis an impositivo conveyor, carrying its load forward frictionally, so that such load can without damage slide rearward relatively to the conveyer. Positively feeding this main conveyer ltllnay be any number of tributary conveyors l1, of which only one is shown. These tributary conveyors, which are also impositivo conveyers, carrying their articles frictionally, and 'which may feed from either or both sides, receive their supply of articles, such as bottles A,

vfrom anysuitablc sources, such as bottle machines or bottlc-fillin machines. At the discharge end of each tri utary conveyer 11, which is the end toward the main conveyer 10, there is a conveyor wheel or feeder star wheel 1,2 turning on a vertical axisovcr a table 13, by which feeder star wheel the positivo feeding to the main conveyer is ob the table 113,W-ithin an 'arc-shaped guide rail 21, and discharges them positively from the table 1,3 obliquely onfto the mam conveyer 104 with a component of motion in the direction of 'travel of said main conveyer;

An oblique i the fingers o the star wheel 12to force the bottles or other articles positively on to the main conveyor in this'oblique direction.

In order to control the passageof the bot'- tles A into the notches of the feeder star wheel 12,1 provide a governor star wheel 25 near the discharge end of each tributary conveyer 11 and overlappin thereupon from. the op osite side thereof gro shaped uic rail 21 and from a springpressed `ence rail 26 which extends along the auxiliary conveyer 11 and serves 'to uide rail 22 coperates with` 1s of thel character of` that shown in my Patent No 1,118,425, rented November 24, 1914, and acts tohol back the bottles A on the -"tributarv conveyerv 1lr save yat such times as the will be received roperly into the notches 1n therotating fee er star Wheel 12. For

this purpose, the governorl star wheel 25 is provided with va serles of latch teeth 27 equal in number to the'ingers of -such governor star wheel, and with these a latch finger. 28 carried -by a,

latch teeth s ring-pressed plunger 29 coperates so that t e gever or star whee125 is held from turning in a rfdsitio'n Iwhere one of its lingers projects over' a tributary" conveyer 11 to stop the passage ofbottles A therealong. The

plunger 29 is "provided at its end withwa; roller 30, which isl engaged by u-pstandlng pins 31 onl the suceesslve fingers ofA the feeder starwheel 12asfthe latter'` turns so as to move V'the latch finger 28 against its spring out Vofen a ement with a tooth-27 to permit the retare bottle to-turnthe vernor star "Vhelmnibc VCarried alongy star wheel that it accomplishes this In order to prevent/the bottles along the main conveyer 10 from interfering with those which arepositively fed on properly.

to the main conveyer from a tributary con veyer by a feeder star Wheel 12, I hinge to the arc-shapedjguide rai-1 21 at its'dischage en d a curved gate '35, which stands in the i path of the oblique discharge frm the feeder star Wheel land when a bottle A is discharged by :suoli .feeder star wheel on to tl vis swungrom the positionl shown in fFig.

such bottle already l'to thefposition shownin vthe main 'fconveyer 10. `Directly across ther' vvmain .conveycr lO'rom-the swinging 'gate'' lis a f iiexi-ble `guide "ra-i136, springn'ounltd at its ends between armsprojecting over.-y the main .conv-ayer 10.' -Thisflexible guide. rail. is normally straight, as shown in Fig; lf-,f but if a bottle, on the main conveyeris'V lo;v cated betvveensuch iexible guide -rail and a gateis swung to vthe position shown in Fig. 2 yby reason of vthe discharge of'a bottle two bottles. 5 In ord erly catching thebottles of differentsizeon swinging" gate 35 ,as such on totlie niain constar WheelI 12, such main conveyerl nis;

veyer lfrom 'the feeder bottle alreadyl on 'the caught b'etweenthe gate 35 and the guide ,rail Y36, and the guide rail as necessary, as shown onI the' mam conveyer isheld from further movement along such main conveyer during"the-' discharge of the bottle "from: the feeder' 'star wheel. "llhis'` effectively prevents collision' nbetween the er to provide for prop guide railvv egevernorstarwheel" is heated at Suche ldistifaunzfram the feeder.

traveling along lthe main l27o'n'to the main conveyeri.

1e main conveyer 'fato the main. conueyer 36 is flexed as far in Fig.; 2, so that'.

- the main A .conveyr .by

Vthe mainconveyer the flexible rail B6 :nay be if adj listed laterally of the main conveyer, as by providing slots in the arms 37 to permit slidlng of 'such arms o n the bolts b which they are attached to the frame of t emain conveyr.

' In the saine Way, theoblique guide rail-22 is preferably adjustable longitudinally ofl i the Inain conveye-r.

In operation, tlj1e bottles, 'are fed to the main conveyor 10 from the tributary conveyer's 11,' and the spacing of the bottles on the main Each utributary conveys-r 11 discharges its bottles directly .into its associated feederstax" wheel 12, this dischargebeing governed by the governor star wheel 25 so that the bottles enr conveyer is more or less irregular.

ter the notches of the star wheel' properly and 'f joints' of the feeder arenotbrokenby the otherwise at tirnes star Wheelv 12 as `woul be the case.' The bottles arcarried by the feeder star l wheel 12 around the curved path determined by the arc-shaped uide rail 21', traveling against the inner. acej ofsuch WhenA they 'reachthe discharge end of-th1s arc-shapedgiuiderailf21, they or to the position shown in Fig. 2, as they travel obliquely on to the inainconveyer 10.v If at this time, there' is a bottle traveling Swinging gte 35,- Itweeirsuch gate guideail 36,3

such bottle is caught be- -1noven1ent until thehinge gate' 35 'is per- Y conveyer '10' opposite the `as-it opens andthe flexible' .and held agaiiistfforvvard,

ico

nii'tted to svving'backtoits norma'lposition,

shown in Fig. 1 which occurs Whenjthe lhotf- -tlebeing discharged by'ithefeeder star-Wheel engghlent With such l2y has passed out vof, gateand is completely onthe'niain conyeyer As bottles are' carried ,by t he main' con;

veyer. 1 0 purely by' fricti n, "but are Pesitivelywmoved by the"fingeifsoflthefeeder conveyer 10, so that the across the main cony'eyer the discharge of an article from the second ca nve'yer on opposite `such gate and Witht'ogrip an article ont-h andv hold it when such gaf' fiffeeder starl wheel-ffeedingto said ma-inc'on'- veyer, a gate which is movable vacross tlieSO l main mmveycr by the discharge of an arlicle froin",sair'l feeder star wheel on to the main tnimveycr, and a yielding rail opposite such gate'and cooperating tlnarewith to grip an `article on 4the main conveyor and hold it when such gate is moved across the n'iaiii coliveyer by the (,lischargc of another arti cle on to the main ooliveyer from the feeder star wheel.

3. In combination, a `main conveyor, a col'ivoyer feeding to said main conveyor, a gate which is movable across' the main lon- -veyer liiy the ,lisch'arge of' al1 article from `the second conveyor on to the main conveyer, anda yielding rail opposite such gate and coi'iporating therewith to grip an article on the main conveyor and hold it when such gate is moved across `the main con veyer by the disclnirge of another article on to the n'iaji conveyor frmn'tho second conveyor.

4. In ccfnbination. an impositivo main conveyor, an impositivo trilliutary conveyor,

a feeder star Wheel receiving `articles itfrom.

the tribu ry conveyor and dl. argine them pi it-ively on to the maincol'lveyer. a gate which movable across the main conve er by the discharge oran article from sald feeder star whl on toy the main conveyor, and a yieldingrrail oppositelslich gate and coperating therewith to grip an arti-- cle on the mai n conveyor and hold it when such gato .is moved across the main cow veyor by the discharge of another article on tothe inain col'iveyer from the feeder sta r wheel. i

5. In combimition. a main mnveyer,` a triliiutary conveyor, a feeder star wheel rea cciving articles from the tributary conveyor and flischarging them on to the main con veyer, a gate which is movable across the main conveyor by thedischarfre of anarti-l cle from said feeder star Wheel on to the main conveyor, and a yielding rail opposite an article on the main conveyor and hold it when such gate movedacross the main conve er by the discliarge of another article on to the main conveyor `{"rpm the feeder star Wheel.

fl. In combination, an impositivo main conveyor, a conveyor feeding positively to said main conveyor, a gato which is movable 'across the main conveyor by the discharge of an article from the socoi'id conveyer on to the main conveyor, and a rail opposite sach gate and coperatinfgr therewith to grip an article on the main conveyor and hold it when such gate is n'ioved across the main conveyor by the discharge of another arti cle on to the main conveyor from the second conveyor.

7. In combination, a main conveyor, a feeder star wheel feeding to said main con-` veyor, a gate which is movable 'across the tl lV such gate and cm'iperatinor therewith to grip' nlan minvcyer by the discharge ot' an article from said feeder star wheel on to the main conveyor. anda rail olniositl'vsnch ,gato and cooperationV therewith to gri an article on the main conveyor and hold gate is moved across the main conveyor b v the discharge, of another article on to the niain conveyor :from th(` feeder star wheel.

ti'. ,In combination.a main convovci'.atribntary em'iveyer, a; feeder starwvhcel recoiving arti from the tributary convcyer,`and discharging them on to themain conveyor, a grate which is movable across the main convcyer by the discharge of an article from said fcc ler star lwl'ieol on to the main conveyor, and a rail opposite such gate and co` operating tl'ierewitli to grip an article on the malin conveyor` and hold it when Such gate ismovcd across the main conveyor by the discharge of another article onto the 1n ain cimveycr 't'ron'i the feeder star Wheel.

9. lfn combination, a main conveyor, a tributary ctmvoyer, said two conveyors carrying `articles resting thereon by friction with the articles, a feeder star wheel receivv from the tributary conveyor and f 'ning them on to said main conveyor.,l said fe er star Wheel moving said articles vby positively pushing them, a gato which is movable across the main conveyor by the feedingl of articles to themain conveyor by said feeder star wheel, anda railopposite said Hate and '-operat'ing therewith to grip Van article alrefn'ly on the main conveyor to ho'ldi t from 'al'iiproarhing the junction point at which the "Feeder star Wheel discharges whcn said grato is moved across. the main conveyor hy the discharge of an article on to the main conveyor from the feeder star ivhcel. f

10. In combination, a main conveyor, said conveyor carrying articles resting thereon by friction Withtlie articles, a feeder star `wheel discharging articles on to said main conveyor, said feeder star Wheel f moving said articles by positively pushing them, a gate which n'iovable across the main conveyor by `the feeding of articles to the main conveyor by said feeder star wheel. and a rail opposite said gate and eoperating theren with to grip an article already on the main convcyov to hold itit'rom` approaching the junction point at which the feeder star ywheel, discharges' when said gate is moved across the main conveyor by the discharge of an article o n to ,the` main conveyor from the feeder star wheel;

11. In combination, a main conveyor, said conveyor 4carrying,,articles resting thereon by friction Withtlie articles, a feeder star wheel discharging articles onto saidlnan convo er, said foederstar'whcol moving said articles by positively 'y g them, a gate which is movable acrr the i'nain conveyor by the feeding of articles to the `main conit. when such ico veyer by seid feeder Star wheel, and :i lxfieldof :in ariele onto the main eonveyer from ing mil eppeeite said gaie and coperziting the feeder stur wheel. herevfiti'x to grip :in nrtieie :Greedy en the In wit/riesig` whereof, I have hereunto set 1n main eonveyei t0 hold it from approaching my hand nt Indianapolis, Indiana, this 14th 5 the junction peint nt which' the 'feeder star (in'v of July, A. D, one thousand nine hunwheel discharges when seid gute moved (hed und lneventeen. acrOSS the main Comeyer by The. discharge VILLIAM H. JOHNSON. 

